We help our customers save money on both sides of the utility meter

P: (440) 773-5044

F: (888) 508-9657

Our Approach

Sustainable Energy Services understands the challenges that companies face in today’s competitive environment. In response, SES has developed a practical, yet flexible, approach to achieve real and verifiable savings. SES can create an integrated energy assessment, planning, education and monitoring program tailored to meet any company’s specific needs.

The SES approach is unique, planned in discreet steps, and is completely objective and transparent. SES shares its knowledge, insight and experience as you engage us a step at a time, building on each previous step. This method focuses on goals that will reduce costs, reduce risk and improve operations. SES wants to help you develop a program that not only reduces your environmental impacts, but also increases profits and long-term brand value.

By combining SES’s engineering and business experience, we have developed a proven, practical methodology for developing an energy master plan. SES focuses on strategies that make good business sense

There are four steps to our process (which can be unbundled or customized as required)

1. Discovery

We start by understanding a company’s detailed energy consumption, which is accomplished by completing a thorough and professional energy audit. The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has developed standards for energy audits. There are three levels.

Level 1: This is a simple walk-through audit where an experienced energy expert makes a written note of various energy efficiency measures observed while surveying the building. There are no measurements taken and there are no financial estimates regarding investment payback , ROI or other metrics.

Level 2: This is closer to ‘investment grade’ and is what most companies choose since it provides detailed measurements and estimated financial payback and ROI information enabling them to act on recommendations.

Level 3: This is an investment-grade audit that includes everything in Level 2 plus additional services that help to tighten savings estimates, including software modeling of the building.

Each level of audit results in a written report detailing past energy consumption along with recommended energy conservation measures (ECM).

2. Deep Dive

After an energy audit is completed, a list of ECM’s is developed. Typically, at least half of the ECM’s are no cost/low cost opportunities that can be easily implemented by a company’s maintenance staff. The remaining ECM’s will typically require a higher level of investment and/or a more in-depth engineering analysis to better understand the economic benefits. This is where SES’s deep energy engineering experience can really help a company. SES has the instrumentation, analytics and expertise to tackle the most challenging kinds of projects with investment-grade results.

3. Implement

Sustainable Energy Services can assist with project implementation. We will prepare a project work scope and solicit multiple proposals from qualified resources to implement the project according to specific findings in the Deep Dive.

We will:

Prepare the implementation strategy;

Define the work scope for each project;

Assist with identifying qualified contractors/resources;

Manage the bid process;

Assist with selecting a contractor;

Oversee project to ensure energy efficiency objectives are being met.

4. Measure and Verify

After project completion, whether or not SES was involved with the project, we can assess and verify that the savings objectives have been achieved. This is accomplished through an objective measurement and verification procedure as outlined in the International Performance Measurement & Verification Protocol (IPMVP Protocol.) At this stage, SES can also develop and maintain an energy usage tracking dashboard that provides management with quantified energy usage and cost trends along with weather and/or production normalization as appropriate. This type of report is useful for seeing and understanding the positive financial impact various projects have on the company.

Provide ongoing advisory services on energy, technology and best practices;

Develop an energy policy for the client and provide training to staff and employees.

What Our Clients Are Saying

Tom did a complete audit of our facility and then mapped out a strategy that we have followed for the last 4 years. To date we have saved 47%. We were so delighted with our results, we asked him to help us with our 3 other plants. Tom is very professional and a joy to work with. I would not hesitate to recommend Tom and his firm if you are looking for a high integrity expert who gets results.

Jeff Weekley, VP Finance and Operations, Mantua Mfg. Co.

Sustainable Energy Services performed a complete facility energy audit, showing us how we could save 30+% on our energy usage. From the final report it was clear we needed to move first on upgrading our lighting. Looking at the math, it was a no-brainer. Based on the unbiased financial analysis provided in the report, we saw a clear way to upgrade to all LED lighting with less than a 2 year payback so we implemented it. SES also helped us with utility rebates, get competitive bids and secure…

Terry Schordock, Property & Systems Director, Bay Presbyterian Church

“It has been a pleasure working with Laura and Tom Sherman and Sustainable Energy Services over the past three years on our energy procurement. They have saved our company many thousands of dollars on our energy spend year over year and I have appreciated the regular and timely insights on our electric and gas accounts.Tom completed an energy audit of our facility and uncovered many opportunities to reduce energy consumption.He also made us aware of a tariff opportunity that will save us …

Wayne Pedlar, Chromaflo Technologies

Tom did a complete facility energy audit, which got us started on reducing our energy consumption. From his report, we were able to improve our lighting, replaced our old boilers with infrared heat and tackled our compressed air system. Since 2010, these and other projects help us achieve a 41% reduction in natural gas usage and an 18% reduction in our electricity usage. Tom has always been available for special projects or advice whenever we needed it. It has been a pleasure to work with…